2019 Women in Building Services: Barbara Kavovit, Evergreen Builders & Construction Services, Inc.

Name: Barbara Kavovit

Title: CEO & Founder 

Company Name: Evergreen Builders & Construction Services, Inc.               

How many years have you been in your current field? 20 years

What was your greatest professional achievement or most notable project in the last 12 months?
My novel, “Heels of Steel” about a girl from the Bronx taking the construction industry by storm will be released this June by Harper Collins, which is one of my greatest achievements. This last year has included several exciting and notable projects for Evergreen – it’s difficult to narrow down to just one! We were awarded the contract for Construction Management services for Hyatt Corporation’s latest acquisition of Exhale Spas. Hyatt is a globally well-known entity and it’s been a great opportunity working with them and being a part of the transformation of these two facilities. In addition, we built the corporate offices for fashion empire, Bandier, and two retail stores including their flagship in NoHo.

What trend(s) do you predict to dominate your industry in 2019?
For a while now there’s been a shortage of skilled labor and it looks as if that trend will continue well into 2019. Securing skilled, reliable labor, is one of the most important assets and is always front and center in our organization. In fact, I predict it’ll skilled labor force will be even more scarce this year. New laws regarding site safety training requirements are getting increasingly strict, which is long overdue. Hopefully companies will realize the benefits of these safety courses and although costly, will make them accessible to the trades and their employees.

Which of your philanthropic endeavors are you most proud of?
Empowering other women is my true calling! Most recently I’ve been asked to speak at a number of women’s organizations on “Resilience." I had the opportunity to share my story of “resilience” for Wise & Wonderful Women and God’s Love We Deliver. Helping others overcome their fears and knowing there are others who’ve experienced similar experiences is important to paying forward and giving back.

What does it mean to you to be a team player? 
My role as CEO positions me to be the leader—that means I constantly strive to be a clear communicator. Setting realistic goals for my team while understanding our clients are number one makes processing and responding to information effectively key to controlling costs and schedule, crucial to the success of any project. Being a team player means using good judgment and being consistent with my message, setting realistic goals of excellence and being stern enough that everyone is accountable for their work.